Architect cost estimation experiences?

Thank you for sharing your experiences. We are building in Baden-Württemberg near Stuttgart. How much do you pay for the architect? It is indeed the case that the architect's fee is calculated according to the current HOAI and only seems exorbitant because construction costs are so high.

We pay a total of 60k for the architect (service phases 1-8) including structural engineering and construction supervision. The guideline was also HOAI but individually negotiated.

And I thought our architect was already expensive at about 30,000. Additionally, 4,500 for structural engineering. The architect had submitted a calculation according to HOAI and then estimated for each phase how much work would actually be required for our project and accordingly offered a percentage of that. Very similar construction project, enlarging a single-family house of 110 sqm to a two-family house of 230 sqm. Total costs (including incidental costs and with some own contribution) about 550k, of which 125k is [KfW subsidy].

And I thought our architect was already expensive with about 30,000. Plus 4,500 for static calculations. The architect had submitted a calculation according to HOAI and then estimated for each stage how much work would actually be involved in our project and accordingly offered a percentage of that. Very similar construction project, single-family house 110 sqm expanded to two-family house 230 sqm. Total costs (including incidental costs and some own contribution) about 550k, of which 125k is a KfW subsidy.

Ok, that sounds comparatively insanely cheap. Where are you building? What own contributions were you able to implement? Unfortunately, we can hardly include any own contributions.

We paid 9000 net (plus costs for the structural engineer) for the architect (including execution planning). We had the construction carried out by a general contractor, with the construction costing 450k. The HOAI is only a recommendation.

Ah interesting! Which phases did you then carry out with the architect? Were phases 1 and 2 sufficient? Are the preliminary design plans sufficient for the general contractor?

Sounds almost like our architect - he basically only bombarded us constantly with cost tables that were far from our agreed budget. There were never really proper drafts for it. When we then wanted to part ways, it was completely "clear" to him that he had delivered including performance phase 3... was an expensive but worthwhile divorce.

Thank you for your feedback! How did you get out of the architect contract then? Were you able to reach an agreement with the architect or did you officially pay him what was agreed upon in the contract? That was probably not an insignificant amount either.

It also started with an architect and similar fee expectations for me.... since I did not want to save on every corner of the house and on the other hand want to pay the architect a fortune, I went to the general contractor - the right step for me....

Which phases had you already gone through with the general contractor? Did you then carry out the still open phases with the general contractor? Who then submitted the building application?